CELEBRATE THEORY MUSIC HISTORY LEVEL 9 HISTORY

Terms
definition and examples
Composers
Bio details: birth/death years. Birthplace/nationality. Family background. Education and
professional training.
Musical Style: style period, innovations, musical influence, impact/significance, GENRES, title
of imp. Works.
Required Works
Date of composition, historical context, genre, performing setting (ensemble or soloist), form,
key structure (modulation/tonal center), tempo/meter. Musical character, mood. Text (if
applicable), plot (if applicable)
Thematic excerpts
Recognition from required works.
Summary of Musical Style
Summary of the musical style of each era and comparison between eras. Mix of personal
reflection, opinion, and commentary but aligned with all the points above.

INTRODUCTION
When describing
RHYTHM: measure, meter (strong/weak beats), simple time (each beat has 2 subdivision).
Compound time (each beat is divided in 3 subdivisions), syncopation (shifting of the musical
accent to a weak beat), anacrusis (upbeat into a phrase, or pick up).
MELODY:
Pitch (high or low), range (distance between high/low), interval, conjunct (melodies made with
stepwise direction), disjunct (melodies with many leaps and changes in direction), motive (short
melodic/rhythmic fragment used to build a melody), phrase (melody similar to a sentence,
musical idea), period (a basic building block to create a large form, 8 bars long, 2 phrases),
sequence (repetition of a short musical phrase at another pitch)
HARMONY:
Chord, Triad, chromatic (melodies/harmonies that include notes outside the key or mode.
Harmonic rhythm (the rate or frequency a choird changes), consonance (agreeable
combination of tones, providing stability), opposed to dissonance (sense of instability),
modulation (changing tonal centers with or without key signature change ), cadence (resting
points at the end of phrases, similar to points at the end of sentences),

FORM
Binary (AB each repeated, section A ends with an open cadence in the dominant or relative
major), rounded binary (A/BA1, opening material from A comes back at the end of B) ternary
(ABA, A ends in a closed cadence in tonic, B is contrasting in key. Often used in Baroque arias,
and classical minuet and trio movements)
TEXTURE
Monophonic (a single melody unaccompanied), polyphonic (2 or more melodic lines),
homophonic (melody and harmonic accompaniment).
Aditional Terms
Dynamics, idiomatic writing (technical capabilities of an instrument in the style writing,
Baroque era), genre, timbre (tone color, quality of sound (voice, instrument), tempo, opus.
PERFORMING FORCES
voice types (soprano, alto, tenor, bass), baritone (tenor/bass range), coloratura soprano
(floriaturas in high pitch soprano, virtupsoic effects), mezzo soprano (alto range), counter tenor
(like a mezzoi soprano, higher than tenor).

KEYBOARD INSTRUMENTS
Organ (sound generated by air passing through pipes or reeds), harpsichord (sound generated by
small quills that pluck strings), clavichord (small metal tangents that strike strings, piano (18 th
century onwards), syntethizer in 19602.

UNIT 1 Vivaldi Four Seasons

Vivaldi 1678-1741

 baroque composer called the Red-headed Priest

 Development of the baroque concerto 3 movement structure
  Established the ritornello form
 Compositional style is characterized by virtuosic writing for string instruments:
o including passagework
o string crossings
o arpeggio figurations
o and double stops
o frequent use of sequences in
o COMPOSED operas, concertos (over 500), and sacred vocal works.
 • incorporated programmatic writing, and descriptive titles THE FOUR SEASONS are
inspired by poetry (first programmatic music)
 IDIOMATIC WRITING: Music that is written for a specific instrument, taking
advantage of that instrument's special capabilities he did it with string
instruments.
GENRES
Concerto:

 soloists (group) and orchestra

 Usually fast-slow-fast
 Using ritornello form
 Showcase the virtuosity of soloists

Other terms: ostinato (a rhythmic or melodic pattern repeated for a extended period of time),
pedal point (a note or series of notes sustained through harmonic changes), concertino (soloists)
and ripieno (full orchestra), programmatic writing (used in 19th century, music based on literature
or paintings)
FORM

 Ritornello form:
o Used in the 1st and third movement in the concertos
o Consists of a ritornello passage that is restated throughout the work serving as
a refrain (like a rondo form)
WORK: THE FOUR SEASONS
The Four Seasons (Italian: Le quattro stagioni) is a group of four violin concerti by Italian
composer Antonio Vivaldi, each of which gives musical expression to a season of the year. These
were composed around 1718–1720, when Vivaldi was the court chapel master in Mantua. They
were published in 1725 in Amsterdam, together with eight additional concerti, as Il cimento
dell'armonia e dell'inventione (The Contest Between Harmony and Invention).
Unit 2
Bach and The Well-Tempered Clavier-1685-1750—very religious PBTG_praise be to god was
his signature to all music he composed—all glory to God
Life and Musical Career divided by the places he lived (4)
Arnstadt, Mühlhausen (1703-1708):

 various positions: court violinist, chamber musician, and organist

 met the famous organist Dietrich Buxtehude and was very impressed by his music
and playing
 married Maria Barbara Bach (distant cousin): famous sons from this marriage are
Carl Philipp Emanuel and Wilhelm Friedemann, became successful musicians
Weimar (1708-1717)

 court organist and chamber musician to Wilhelm Ernst, Duke of Weimar

 became a famous organ player, composed many organ works, including the
Orgelbüchlein (Little Organ Book) of chorale preludes
 composed music for Lutheran church services— cantatas, chorale settings
 LEFT WEIMAR BECAUSE accepted a salary advance for a new position at Cöthen; this
angered the Duke of Weimar, which resulted in a month of jail
Cöthen (1717-1723)—keyboard work

 Kapellmeister (music director) to Prince Leopold of Cöthen, avid supporter of the arts
 Calvinist views of the court influenced musical activities: no music performed in
churches
 many solo and chamber works composed during this period-suites, concertos, sonatas,
solo keyboard works, including The Wel-Tempered Clavier, Bok 1
 sudden death of Maria Barbara/ maried Ana Magdalena Wilcke, acourt singer; their
sons Johann Christian and Johann Christoph became successful musicians
Leipzig (1723-1750)

 appointed Cantor of S.t Thomas School

o many responsibilities: teaching, composing, directing choirs, and supervising
musical activities in several churches
 became director of collegium Musicum, a performing ensemble for university students in
1729
 important large-scale works written in this period: Goldberg Variations, Art of Fugue
 travelled frequently to test nbew keyboard instruments (around 1747)
 died July 28, 1750; likely cause was a stroke

VOCABULARY
Equal temperament: a method of tuning keyboard instruments/ octave is divided into 12 equal
steps which facilitates to play in all keys majors and minors.
Clavier: a German word for keyboard instruments other than the organ
Prelude: a short keyboard work in improvisatory style, often paired with a fugue
Fugue: a highly structured, imitative contrapuntal composition where single theme or subject
prevails
Counterpoint: combination of two or more independent melodic lines, also referred to as
"polyphonic texture"
Subject: initial statement of the main theme of the subject of a fugue
Answer: second statement of the subject usually in dominant key
Real answer: exact transposition of the subject
Tonal answer: a statement of the subject in which one or more intervals adjusted to
accommodate the harmony
Countersubject: a recurring countermelody accompanies entries of the subject and answer
Episode: a passage within a fugue in which neither subject nor answer is presented and is often
sequential.
Augmentation: thematic material using longer values
Stretto: "to tighten", overlapping subject entries in close succession
Musical Style and Contributions
1. personal faith was a source of inspiration for his creative work; as a devout Lutheran,
DEDICATED all his work to the glory of God"
2. great master of the contrapuntal art, as demonstrated in the fugues of The Well Tempered
Clavier
3. absorbed influence of international styles-German (Lutheran chorale tradition,
counterpoint); French (dance rhythms, ornamentation); Italian (operatic, lyricism,
ritornello form, idiomatic string writing)
4. virtuoso organist, as reflected in his organ keyboard works
5. perfected all existing forms rather than defining new ones
6. SYNTETIZED the leading musical developments of his era in Europe.
IMPORTANT WORKS
Orchestral: 6 Brandenburg Concertos, 4 orchestral Suites, Concertos for Violin and
Harpsichord
 Chamber: 6 unaccompanied cello suites; 6 unaccompanied sonatas and partitas for violin,
sonatas for: flute, viola da gamba, violin and harpsichord.
Keyboard: collections for students: Anna Magdalena Bach notebook, Notebook for Wilhem
Friedemann; 2-part, Three-part inventions, The Well Tempered Clavier, 6 toccatas, 6 English
Suites, 6 French Suites, 6 Partitas, an Italian Concerto, Chromatic fantasy and fugue
Organ: chorale preludes, toccatas, passacaglias, and fugues
Vocal: around 200 cantatas, passions (St Mathews, St John and Mass in B minor)
THE WELL TEMPERED CLAVIER

 Great contribution to the history of keyboard works

 Great contrapuntual writing, fugal subjects are handled by using inversion (upside
down), augmentation, and diminution, mirror like etc
 Demonstrates the equal temperament by writing in all majors and minor keys: 24 in
total
o Preludes and fugues go in pairs organized by parallel major and minor keys
EX: no. 1 in C major, no. 2 in C minor, then go up a half step
Let’s analyze some outside the listening guide to get a better idea of how they are put together
Some preludes are in toccata like or etude like or a fantasie like etc
The fugues are all the same with some elements handeled differently (PIK 5 to look at)